Feed mechanism for stokers.



D. F. CRAWFORD. FEED MECHANISM FOR STOKERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 10' 19H.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

WITNESSES DAVID F. CRAWFORD, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FEED MECHANISM FOR STOKERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.

Application filed June 10, 1914. Serial No. 844,211.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it mown that I, DAVID F. CRAWFORD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invente certain new and useful Improvements in Feed Mechanisl'n for Stokers, of which the following is a specification. his invention relates to feed mechanism for use with automatic stokers used on steam locomotives, and has for its principal ob jects the provision of simple and effective mechanism for preventing the formation of a fuel arch above the discharge passage in the bottom of the tender, thereby insuring a constant passage of fuel to the transfer mechanism when the stoker is in operation; the provision of a suitable arch breaking mechanism adapted to be actuated by moving elements employed in the fuel handling operation, the provision of an arch breaker that is operated from without the fuel receptacle and readily accessible for inspection and repair, and such other objects as will hereinafter appear. Certain embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- The figure is a central longitudinal section through the front portion of a locomotive tender showing my invention as applled adjacent the-rear wall of the fuel recepgac e.

eferring to the figure the principal parts of the construction may be enumerated lriefly a follows: 1 is the fuel receptacle at the front end of the tender, 2 is a passage for the fuel into the transfer mechanism, 3 is a crusher and distributor which reciprocates transversely of the passage 2, 4 is a passa e through the crusher into which fuel falls by gravlty and from which the coal is discharged 1nto a hopper 5 when the crusher is moved to its rearmost position, and 6 is a connecting rod which reciprocates the crusher longitudinally of the tender and is pivotally connected to a reciprocating drivin rod carried by the locomotive (not s own The fuel deposited on the hopper by the movement of the crusher falls by gravity into the transfer chute 8 and is advanced toward the front end of the chute where it is discharged into the Stoker mechanism by means of the pivoted vanes 9 which are reciprocated simultaneously longitudinally of the chute, the vanes remaining in the position shown when moving in the forward stroke, but which swin to the right when they are moved towar the rear, thus advancing the fuel on the forward stroke. The foregolng described mechanism is the same as that now in use on automatic stokers for locomotives and no claim is made to the novelty of such construction.

y invention relates to a mechanism for preventing the formation of a fuel arch above the discharge passage 2 in connection with the above described mechanism and comprises a bent agitator arm 10 pivoted at 11 adjacent the sloping rear wall 12 of the fuel receptacle 1. The free end 13 of the agitator arm rejects through a narrow slot 14 in the wall 12, and extends into the receptacle 1, above the fuel passage 2, and serves to agitate the fuel above the passage 2 when oscillated, thereby preventing the formation of a fuel arch above the passage 2.

The agitator arm is oscillated by means of a connecting rod 15 pivoted adjacent the apex of the arm at one end and pivotally connected at 16 to the rear end of the crusher and distributor 3 at the other end. As shown in the figure the crusher and agitator arms are in central position, the extreme limits of movement of the agitator arm being indicated in broken lines. It Wlll be seen therefore, that the end 13 of the agitator arm 10 has considerable range of action, and as it moves from one extreme position to the other each time the crusher 3 is moved its entire length of stroke, the fuel above the passage will be constantly ag1- tated while the stoker mechanism is in operation.

All 0 erative arts are without the fuel receptac e and t erefore readily accesslble for inspection and repair.

What I claim is:

In combination in an apparatus for supplying fuel to a locomotive fire box, a fuel tender provided with a gravity discharge passage a reciprocable fuel distributor beneath the discharge passage adapted to 1ntermittently open and close the passage to feed fuel to a conveyor, an agitator pro ectmg upwardly thruugh the -walls of the In te stixuony yvhereo f I have hereunto tender adapted to agitate the fuel above the signed/my name 111 the presence of the. suba'ssege, and a link pivotally connecting the scribed wltnesses.

distributer with the agitator for movmg DAVID F. CRAWFORD.

the upper end of the agitator upward Witnesses: through the fuel when the distributer is BADBT. REIULY, moved to open the passage. W. S. CAREY. 

